The Prince
by wytchunter
Summary: Like father, like son...okay, I know there have been a lot of Phobos-past fanfics, but I wrote this a while ago and thought it was good. This is my first story on here, so it might look a little weird. Finally complete! Please read and review.
1. The Courier's Son

Disclaimer: I guess I should mention that I don't own W.I.T.C.H. and that this is a clearly fan-based story?

Prologue:

"No! This can't be how it ends!" Phobos's voice echoed, defeated, throughout the castle. The Guardians and his sister Elyon all ganged up on him, like a pack of wolves. Swirls of colors representing magical elements swirled dangeroulsy around him.

"Funny how they always say that!" Will commented harshly as she saw the electric flow consume and suffocate him. Phobos was losing air, losing life, losing magic.

As the world around him began to fade, the name floated like a phantom in his clouds of thought. _Elyon, Elyon, Elyon…_

"No...no, listen to me..." The magic disappeared, and everything went black.

~%~

"But where will you go?" Weira asked her love, who was already packed and ready to leave.

"Anywhere where it's safe for you and me, and...for the little one." He looked at Phobos with a strange look in his eye that only the boy could see. No one recognized it except him.

"Daddy," A four-year-old Phobos blurted out, while he held his arms out to hug his father. "Daddy, don't!"

The knight did not chuckle or smile warmly as most fathers would. He kneeled down to Phobos's level and said with dark, deadly serious face: "Don't worry, child. You won't have to miss me, 'cause I'll be back."

Phobos wasn't sure if he was happy about that or not. He knew he didn't want Daddy to leave, but secretly, he was scared of Daddy, too.

~%~

"Phobos, we have a new courier! I would like you to meet Chaucey, who has a son just your age!"

"Yes, his name's Cedric!" Chaucey gleamed at the mentioning of his son. "He's very friendly! I'm sure he and the prince will get along!"

Phobos was now nine years of age, and though he was Prince of Meridian, he was far from a social butterfly. In fact, the boy hardly ever opened his mouth. He mostly kept to himself out of fear of being ridiculed. After all, who wanted to be friends with a snobby prince (or so most children misjudged him to be)?

Phobos didn't have much faith in this Cedric. He figured he'd be just like every other boy: friendly in front of the adults, but once they were alone, he'd ridiculed him for being a spoiled prince and would accuse him of being stuck up because he was so quiet.

Chaucey was handsome for a courier; he made his dull-colored clothes look good. He had short blonde hair which fell into place perfectly, and a little stubble on his chin. His dark bluish-green eyes were like a deep lake; they were easy to drown in. Chaucey was a good height and had a fit body.

To be polite and respond to Chaucey's comment, he nodded his head and said, "Yea, I'll bet he's great!"

Weira smiled down at her child, proud of her kind and faithful son. She'd feared she would have a difficult and spoiled brat, the fate of many royal mothers. But Phobos never once had a tantrum, was obedient, and helped even when he wasn't asked to.

The queen said something to the courier, who nodded his head and followed her to a separate room. Phobos had the feeling they were going to fetch Cedric, so he walked out of the room before they could come back.

The castle was immense and had paintings of aunts and uncles and nobles and ladies everywhere. They were not all very nice, and in fact, most of them were fake. But only Phobos knew this, for they inveigled people to believe they were humble and sweet. Sometimes Phobos felt he was the only one who knew the truth about anything, or at least the only one to acknowledge it.

Light from the sun streamed in through a huge window. The window was Phobos's favorite invention: it was a link to the outside world, without any requirement of actually having to immerse oneself in it. The window provided a beautiful scene: trees, lakes, a city, people, horses, cattle. Everything was right there in front of him, in a giant, moving painting. Phobos wished he'd brought his sketchbook with him.

He began to head for his room to retrieve it when a voice stopped him. "Hello! Are you the prince?"

Phobos whirled around, and dread filled him when he saw a blonde boy who so much resembled Chaucey. "You must be Cedric," he said, but only to be polite. The truth was, he wanted no more than run and never see Cedric again.

The pretty blonde boy nodded his head. He was very pretty, but in a strangely boyish way: sharp, elf-like features, glisening blue eyes, and fair hair which hardly scratched his shoulders. He looked friendly, but Phobos could see past that mask. He knew that the minute Cedric had him out in the garden alone or perhaps in his room he'd give him hell.

"I'm the courier Chaucey's son," Cedric stated. "My father told me that you like making new friends."

_What a lie that is! _Phobos thought.

"I like making new friends too! So, do you want to walk in the garden or something?"

_I knew it, _Phobos thought angrily, _I knew this kid was like all the others! Yea, take me to the garden so you can push me and ridicule me about how lucky I am! How rich I am! How lonely I am!_

"I...I actually wanted to get something from my room," Phobos said truthfully. Cedric grinned.

"Would you like me to come with?"

Phobos wanted to say no, more than anything! But he felt that as the Prince he had to set a good example, even if Cedric probably didn't deserve it. So instead he replied, "Sure."

Cedric nearly skipped when Phobos said that. "Okay, okay!" Why did he have to seem so nice?

Phobos never left his room messy; he always put everything back in it's place after he used it. Of course Cedric, as did most everyone, assumed that it was the servants that did a good job. It would be blasphemy to imagine that Phobos actually did things for himself!

In his drawer lay his favorite sketchbook (for he owned many). It had a leather cover and was filled with crippled parchment paper. Inside was a world of drawings: some of real things, and some purely from Phobos's imagination. His dreams consisted of complex creatures which could not be described by word of mouth, so he put them down on paper.

Giddy as he was, Cedric grabbed the notebook and said, "Let me see!" He flipped through the pages, fascinated with the prince's work. "Wow, wow...wowwww! You really drew all this? Man, you're gonna be an artist one day! Really, really! You're destined to be an artist one day!"

For a split second, the prince thought that Cedric was joking and would soon throw the sketchbook out the window, where it would surely be destroyed forever. But he did not; the courier's son stared at every drawing as if it were legitmately an artist's.

Phobos swallowed nervously. "Um, you like it?"

"Absolutely! What is this creature? It's beautiful! It's scary! That's amazing! How do you do it?" Phobos peered over and saw the Lurden he'd created - a strangely majestic type of bird with many colors and an elaborate pattern made with 40 different types of feathers.

"It's...I called it a Lurden. It's, um, just something that came in my dreams. That's where most my drawing comes from, from my dreams..."

_Oh no...do I sound like a freak? _Phobos wondered. Being ridiculed so often, he wasn't sure if what was coming out of his mouth was something one told just anyone.

"Yea! I get that! Wow, I wish I had your talent, your passion! My dreams are rare and boring, and tell me absolutely nothing. But yours, yours create worlds!" Cedric smiled warmly and handed him the sketchbook.

_I can't believe it! _Phobos thought. _Is this kid truly what I think he is? Is he...real? _He'd never met anyone who wasn't either fake or downright cruel.

"You know what Cedric? Let's go to the garden!"


	2. Rumors

"Why do even like him, Cedric?" A boy with waves of chocolately brown hair asked him. He was much older than Cedric, but they were good friends.

"Phobos is not the stuck up jerk most of us think he is! He's really just shy..."

"Shy? Seriously? Phobos is royalty, he has no reason to be shy!"

"That's not true! Phobos is a little nervous around new people. But he's really great once you get to know him!"

"Cedric, you are always the optimist!" It annoyed Carlisle that Cedric could remain so sprightly. Before his father was discovered by someone from the royal court and he landed the job as a royal messenger, Cedric's life had been anything but sprightly. His father had been a poor butcher who could barely afford daily bread, and his mother ran on them to marry a rich man.

"Phobos is amazing! He can draw so well, his drawings almost look alive!" Cedric's wistful eyes were clouded over with the images in Phobos's sketchbook.

"Yea, well, you can't always fall for that. He's still royalty so he still has a good chance of being jerk."

"Oh, come on! Why does everyone think royalty-" Cedric began, but he shut his mouth as soon as he said it. He knew perfectly well that the nobility was corrupt, that the rich had everything and shared nothing. Did that mean that Phobos's shyness was simply an act? Cedric hoped that wasn't true.

"Anyway, it looks like everyone's in for a game of Chase!"

The city children were all chasing each other in a nearby field. And they were fast! It was hard to catch and to be caught. Carlisle and Cedric joined in, and even though he concentrated on chasing as many victims as possible, he still had Phobos in his thoughts.

The prince looked out of the window miserably, thinking of how much fun he'd had with Cedric yesterday. Phobos had tested him all day, and Cedric hadn't faltered! He was as honest and kind as his face showed. The prince was impressed, but he wouldn't give in just yet! He needed to avoid as many traps as he could.

He looked for something in the garden that he could draw, but he didn't feel like drawing that day. His mind was wheeling back to a very long time ago, when his father had left. He was so little then that he couldn't even remember what the man looked like. All he knew was that his father was gone because there currently was not a king beside the Queen of Meridian.

He found it all so strange...why would the King of Meridian just up and leave the throne?

He went back inside the castle and peered into the kitchen. Strange as it seemed, Phobos was always curious in what was happening between his servants and ordinary people. He supposed it was a result of his being bored with the uneventful lives of the nobility.

"I hear she's getting married!" A young girl with a bonnet and bread in her hands was saying.

"No way! Queen Weira is getting married?" A plump servant with honey-brown hair replied.

Phobos suppressed a gasp. His mother was getting married? Why hadn't she anything to him? Why hadn't anyone said anything to him?

"Is that legal? After all, she and King Cobalt never divorced." Another kitchen maid, this one blonde, countered the first two.

"No, but she is a widow, and it is possible for widows to re-marry in Meridian if the man concurs. In this case, Prince Xaden has agreed to marry her."

"But what about Prince Phobos?"

"What about him?"

"Well...I hear that Prince Phobos isn't of royal blood, and therefore cannot be accepted as Prince Xaden's royal son." A gasp went through the room, and Phobos held his breath. Not of royal blood? How could that be?"

"What's that? Phobos doesn't belong to King Cobalt?" The plump cook with thick, orange hair asked her in a country accent. She was stuffing a loaf into the oven.

"No, because it was after King Cobalt's death that Phobos was born! And at the time, Sir Skelliclyde had been courting her!"

"What? But Knights aren't allowed to go past that: supervised courting! How could they have had a child? And where is that damned knight anyway?"

Phobos couldn't listen to this anymore. He ran from the scene, feeling dizzy and hoping that they were nothing more than castle rumors. 


	3. Sir Skelliclyde

"Cedric, Cedric!" Phobos called for his only friend, his voice sprinting down the halls before him. "Cedric, where are you?"

He went down a corridor, then another, passing columns and paintings and servants. As he searched, the maids and servants gave him strange looks. Phobos was always quiet and rarely requested anything of his castle menagerie, so it was a queer thing to see him running around and looking for someone.

"Chauceyyyy!" The prince tried, hoping his father was coming with a message rather than going out to send one. He stopped when heard a man's voice ask him,"Who are you looking for, young man?"

It belonged to a tall man with a friendly face. Phobos had never seen him before, but he could tell he was important by his cloak and dyed clothing.

"I'm...I'm looking for Cedric...courier's son...who are you?" Phobos's mind was jumping back to the maids in the kitchen...

The man laughed, but not in the cruel way that Phobos was used to. "I am Prince Xaden," he stated, then ruffed up Phobos's hair. "And you must be Phobos. This means that I'm your new step-father!"

Phobos stood there, gawking up at him like the village idiot. This was his new stepfather?

"I hear you like to draw! Is that true?"

"I...I, uh..." Phobos swallowed, and finally gave up. He started to run off again.

"Wait! I didn't frighten you, did I?" Prince Xaden sounded sincere, but that did not stop Phobos.

It's not you, Phobos thought bitterly, it's the fact that my whole life could have been a big lie!

Chaucey the Courier was coming back from sending a message to a local lord. Weira had heard that he was being selfish, and was using Chaucey to send him fair warning. If she recieved another complaint about him, he would be thrown in jail and his land would be split between his serfs.

Running away from Prince Xaden and not paying attention to what was in front of him, Phobos collided with Chaucey at the castle entrance, causing both of them to slam into the ground. But Chaucey had a good character, so he was not angry with the prince. He helped the boy up and asked, "What rushes you, my prince?"

"Chaucey!" Phobos gasped. "I'm so glad to see you! I was looking for Cedric-"

"Cedric! Cedric's out in the fields, with the other children. So, you met my son?" Chaucey asked him with a friendly smile. Phobos would have made an effort to smile back, but he wasn't in the mood. He simply nodded and told him he desparately needed him at that moment. The courier was a tad bit disturbed but somehow understood and led him to the fields.

The other children had gone home; it was only Cedric and Carlisle in the lot.

"Cedric!" Phobos called again, surprisingly not out of breath. "Cedric, can I talk to you?"

"Oh, Phobos! I wanted to see you! And sure, you can always talk to me!" Carlisle frowned at this, but Cedric was concerned with Phobos and Phobos was concerned with something else.

"I'll be going," Carlisle announced, hoping Cedric cared.

"Yea, okay!" Cedric ran off with Phobos without looking back. The apathy he showed towards Carlisle felt like a freshly forged sword stabbing him more than once. He didn't like the prince before, and he especially did not like him now.

"What did you want to tell me?" Cedric asked when they were out of hearing range. The both of them were under a tree that was on top of a hill. It overlooked the town below, and one could see the castle perfectly from the spot.

"Cedric...King Cobalt wasn't my real father!"

"What!"

"I heard some maids talking in the kitchen-"

"Oh, Phobos! You can't listen to what kitchen workers say-they'll make up anything just for a topic! Maids love to gossip, whether it's true or not, and most of the time it isn't."

"But Cedric, my father couldn't have been the King! I was born approximately a year after his death!"

Cedric thought about this and understood that it had to be proof. King Cobalt wasn't Phobos's father. Then who was?

As if reading his mind, Phobos said, "The maids mentioned a name...Sir...Sir Skelliclyde!"

It surprised Phobos that he could even remember such a bizarre name-possibly because it truly belonged to him.

"Maybe...maybe Sir Skelliclyde was a knight who ran out on some local lady," Cedric suggested, trying to deny the truth for Phobos. "And they just carved him into being your father because they wanted to make the story more interesting. People always do that...people always warp the truth..." Just like he was doing now.

Phobos breathed in slowly, then let it back out. "Yea, maybe..." He decided to let Cedric lie for him and dwell into it no further. "Anyway...guess what? I met my new stepfather!"

"Really? You met Prince Xaden?" Cedric grinned widely.

Phobos frowned, forcing the grin off of Cedric's face.

"Why is it that everyone knew about him except for me?" Cedric looked away and didn't answer.

"Cedric! You've got to tell me! It's not fair that my mom would hide something like that from me!"

Cedric swallowed and continued to avoid looking at Phobos.

"I...I only heard a little bit about it, the little bit that my father knows. He was talking to your mother, and she said that she was worried about you. She was worried that you would feel she was replacing your father-who she specifically said was King Cobalt!"

"But he wasn't," Phobos insisted. "I just know he wasn't..."

Cedric remained silent, unsure of what to say then. Phobos became afraid then. It was unusual for Cedric to remain silent and foreboding.

"Well, whoever your father is, you're still you," Cedric finally said. "You'll always be Prince Phobos to me!" Phobos smiled at his friend's attempt to cheer him up.

The two sat at the hill in silence for a while, enjoying the wind and walked back to the castle in a cheerful manner, as if nothing had been said at all of Sir Skelliclyde.

That night, Phobos hoped that sleep would take all of the day's events away. People often forget bad things after they slept. The prince slipped into bed and closed his eyes. A strange song floated around his head; a man was singing. The voice was coarse but somehow still musical. Phobos tossed and turned all night while mumbling one name, "Sir Skelliclyde." 


	4. The Wedding

"The wedding is tomorrow! Oh, how exciting this is!" The young blond maiden who had gossiped in the kitchen was bouncing with excitement.

"Everyone in Meridian is invited to Her royalness's wedding!"

Trill, the plump castle cook, gleamed alongside her. "I hear her dress is absolutely stunning! I won't get to see it, though, because I have the honor of cooking the royal Wedding Meal!"

"Oh, Trill, how wonderful!"

The entire castle, or better yet, the entire kingdom, was buzzing with anticipation. Everyone was excited about the wedding except Prince Phobos, who at the moment was unsure of how to feel.

"Oh, what am I supposed to do? I hardly know who my real father is, and now I'm going to have a stepfather!" The prince complained to his first and only best friend, Cedric. "I don't know whether to be happy for my mother, or infuriated that she would keep that a secret from me!"

"Phobos, I think that she has a perfectly good reason..."

"Like what, Cedric?"

"Well, obviously, if your father is this Sir Skelliclyde, and if everyone found out about it or spoke up about it, you wouldn't even be in the castle right now," Cedric pointed and quickly regretted it. Prince Phobos looked as though he'd just been slapped in the face.

"I mean...I..." Cedric tried to think of a way to compensate for the harsh truth.

"...I should probably get ready," Phobos shook his head and tried to snap out of it. "I have to practice a bunch of ball dances for the reception."

Cedric smiled encouragingly. "Well, that's kinda exciting! I've always wanted to dance in a ball..."

"You sound like a girl!"

"I just mean I would like to dance with a girl and share a moment!" Cedric said, blushing. "At least you get that chance!"

Phobos shrugged. "I've danced with many girls, but none of them ever seemed all that special. In fact, they all seem the same to me..."

The two walked to the dance hall and saw Phobos's dance instructor leaning against the wall. He turned to Cedric and said, "maybe you're right, Cedric. Maybe tonight will be fun..."

Later that night, Trill had finished preparing the royal Wedding Meal. Now it was time to bake the cake!

That morning the sun shone more brightly than it usually did. The birds sung with better key, the colors of the world were loud and vibrant. Phobos tried to be like Cedric and tell himself that, "today is going to be a good day." And perhaps it would be, he thought. At the very least, his mother will be happy with a good, loyal husband beside her.

The entire castle was decked out in beautiful and elaborate feather boas, flowers, vines, drapes. The service to announce that Queen Weira and Prince Xaden were getting married lasted four hours and Phobos had to sit, stand, listen and respond for the entire time. It was incredibly exhausting and he hadn't slept easily that night.

Nonetheless, he held tight for his mother's sake. There was a gleam in her eye and skip to her step, and Phobos did not want to be a bad son. After all, today was his mother's day. How could he ruin it?

"I think you're right, Cedric!" Phobos told his best friend a few minutes before the Royal Reception. "I think my chance at the ball dance is a thing to appreciate."

This made Cedric smile. "I'm glad, Phobos! See, everything is fine!"

The reception was filled to the brim with decor, nobles, food and music. The first dance was a round dance, one where everyone mixed in together, circling and having new partners every five minutes. Phobos hated this dance, because most of the people were snooty and acted as if they'd catch a disease holding his hands.

"I haven't got the plague," Phobos murmured under his breath. Finally came the dance that he was more interested in: personal dances, where one was either free to mingle and not dance or to choose their own partner.

Phobos searched, hoping to find a girl who wasn't standoffish and picky, when he saw a humble and pretty maiden heading out of the ball. He decided to follow, determined to fight his shyness.

The girl had long black hair and sparkling blue eyes. There was something ominious about her, but Phobos ignored it. How much harm could a girl be?

"Hello there, maiden!" He said, ignoring his pumping heart. "I am Prince Phobos. Would you like to dance?"

He couldn't believe himself! He sounded just like a knight...

The girl smiled and laughed. "Why, sure, your majesty! I'm flattered!"

Swallowing his fear and yielding to the music, Phobos remembered every step of the dance, not missing a beat. He was impressed with himself, and so was the girl.

"What is your name?"

"I'm Myrtle, a common girl living in a common village. Why would one so majestic and graceful as yourself want someone as lowly and average as I?"

"You are anything but the sort, girl! You are beautiful, extravagant, humble, virtuous..."

"Surely you are lying!"

"Surely not!" The two kids laughed at their standoffish accents, making a parody of how the nobility normally talked.

Well, Myrtle wasn't really a kid. Phobos may have been nine, but the girl looked older than fourteen.

"It is time for me to go, my prince. I hope you find a fairer maiden than me!" And off she ran, her long black trailing beautifully behind her.

"Oh no," Phobos said. "I will never find anyone better!" Just as he was about to head back inside the castle ball room, the wind blew and with it came a message: "You fowl little trickster! You are always learning the ways of charm and guile..."

The prince turned but saw no one. "Hello?" Nothing. He went back to the castle and out of nowhere thought of how knights could be charming but not always loyal. 


	5. The Defeat

Author's note: Okay, you might notice the the inspiration for a certain someone's transformation form comes from an anime called Guyver. I just thought I'd point that out. :P

"I've finally found you," said London Skelliclyde coldly to his arch nemesis, Gerard.

The rivalry went back to years ago, when the two were just boys. Gerard and London were best of friends, two sons of two prestigious lords, until one day Gerard stole a very special girl from London and London grew jealous. Ever since then, the two were in competition over everything, including power. Although, this particular fight was centered around personal pride rather than power.

Who is better? Who will survive?

"You won't defeat me, London," Gerard replied with calm confidence. He didn't even bother smirking, because he believed that that was a coded show of fear. People laugh when they're nervous, and sometimes a smile is just a resolved laugh.

London growled, "I will win this war! You'll be sorry you ever challenged me!"

Gerard took a step back and began transforming. It started with his blood boiling, then the magical molecules bubbling to the surface of his skin, making it glow in blue and gold and white dots. His eyes became slanted, huge and bug-like. They became black and hollow.

Hard armor like an ant's began to form around his arms, legs, chest and neck. It consumed his head and the area around his eyes. His face was now hidden behind the black, shiny mask of armor, and a sharp horn stabbed backwards away from his head. He lifted his hard,  
>black arms and revealed tough yet graceful black wings. On top of those appeared two bulky, hard ones, as if they were meant to protect the more delicate flying devices.<p>

A blue glowing lava filled in the empty eye sockets. Before London stood a giant, armored, beetle-like man.

He looked like a powerful opponent, but Skelliclyde wasn't about to admit that. Even if he'd never seen Gerard transformed, he was always determined to prove he was better.

"YOU WILL NOT WIN!" London screamed as he charged towards Gerard with his sword. The metal of the weapon broke into shattered pieces against the monster's armor. The former knight screamed maniacally as he blindly threw magic bolts at him.

Every bolt bounced off uselessly, and one even hit the knight! The beetle's glowing blue eyes looked at London expressionlessly.

There was a slit down his chest which he ripped open with his armor-claws.

Out spurted 12 or 13 long, black tenticles with sharp ends to them. They reminded London of the fangs on a spider, only elongated and much more deadly.

Skelliclyde continued to screech and throw blind targets when two or three of the sword-fangs shot right into the knight! Before he could make any move, the fangs hurled themselves into his chest like javelins, and blood exploded from his chest. London screamed in agony.

"I'm sorry, London. But I warned you, you would not win!" Gerard stabbed him a couple more times. By the time he was through with him, there was no more London left. He left the ex-soldier lying dead on the ground.

"Happy birthday, Phobos!" Cedric was as sprightly as he'd always been, busting into the room and violating Phobos's solitude.

"Cedric! I didn't want a party!" Phobos sulked and put down his sketchbook. He was sad to find that his drawings were becoming darker and more disorientated. The majestic birds and dragons and sea creatures he once drew were now transforming into lopsided, ugly things that resembled monsters.

"Oh, come on! You're the prince of Meridian, and today is a special day!"

"Why?"

"'Cause it was the day you were born!" Phobos rolled his eyes. He supposed that was a good day. After all, he did make the best friend in the world.

Since Phobos was appreciating Cedric more than usual, he decided to go out of his room. He was just about to explore the throne room when suddenly he heard a terrible scream.

"What was that?" He demanded. He grabbed Cedric's hand and they both ran towards the noise.

"She's...she's ready!"

Weira held her bloated stomach and looked stressed. It was time...it was time for her and Prince Xaden's child to be born!

The wetnurses and staff rushed the Queen into a room where she could deliver. Phobos sat in the gardening, wondering how it felt to give birth.

"What am I thinking? Cedric, look! It's a bird..."

A bird similiar to Phobos's original Lurden passed overhead.

"Wow, what gorgeous wings!" Cedric commented. "It looks almost like..."

He looked down at Phobos, and the prince nodded. Cedric remembered how fascinated he had been with Phobos's Lurden, which could have been flying right above them.

The hours passed, and a maid finally came outside.

"Phobos, your baby sister Elyon is born!" Phobos and Cedric ran to delivery room, curious as to how a newborn looked. There in Weira's arms was the most beautiful child Phobos had ever seen.

"She's...she's lovely..."

Phobos touched Elyon on the cheek. He couldn't help himself; he melted as soon as he touched her. "Oh, mom, she's beautiful! May I carry her?"

"Absolutely!" Weira said through her tears. So perfect is my son, Weira thought. Not an ounce of bitterness or anger in his pure heart!

The baby yawned in Phobos's arms and his heart melted again. She was just so cute! "Cedric, isn't she adorable?"

Cedric nodded and smiled. "She's the cutest thing on Earth! You're one lucky teenager!"

Phobos laughed happily. "Happy Thirteenth to me!"  
> <p>


	6. Reunion

One year later...

A single, whole orange flower fluttered down from a tall tree and landed in Elyon's hand. That is, she grabbed at it until it was in her handed it to Phobos insistantly as if to say, "Here is a present! Please accept!"

Her fourteen year old brother smiled up at her and said, "Thank you, Elyon! I'll be sure to keep it in a safe place." He made a mental note to keep the flower in one of sketchbooks.

Phobos had volunteered to take care of Elyon for the day, much to the protest of the castle nannies. He wanted to show her the garden that had been his safe haven since he could remember.

"I wish I could make a painting of you two!" Cedric cooed. "You two are so close! Phobos, you are going to be the World's Greatest Brother!"

Phobos gleamed. "No, Cedric. Ellie's going to be the World's Greatest Sister!" At that Ellie laughed, almost as if she understood the joke.

Phobos and Cedric spent the whole day with Ellie. As Weira watched her son play lovingly with his sister, her heart melted. She was surprised to see no hate or bitterness in his eyes. Even when she had married Xaden, he had been completely accepting towards him. Of course, the fact that he still thought his father was the late King Cobalt probably made things easier to comply with. If he knew the truth, and began to wonder if his father was alive, he might have reacted differently.

A pang hit Weira's heart as she thought about this. It had been a horrible mistake, falling for that treacherous knight! But what hadn't been a mistake, Weira thought whole-heartedly, was having Phobos. He had been the most wonderful son Weira could imagine, and it was obvious that he would be a wonderful brother as well. Weira had once thought about telling Phobos the truth, but then she feared it would bring too much sadness and anger into his pure heart. She decided to let the past die, because she and Phobos were happy.

That evening, Phobos put Elyon to bed and was out in the garden again, watching the sunset, when he heard a familiar voice calling to him. "Ph...Phobos!"

He peered into the sunset, and who would have guessed?

"Myrtle!"

He hadn't stopped thinking about her in the past five years since he'd danced with her, and he had been wondering if he'd ever see her again.

"Oh, Prince Phobos, I don't know what to do!" She was sobbing; tears running down her face. A crying infant lay squirming in her arms.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" Phobos asked concerned, glancing down at the baby.

"My father hasn't come in a couple of days, and I keep hearing this voice whispering..."

"Whispering what?"

"Whispering a name...Sk...Skelliclyde, I think!"

"What?" Phobos said with a sharp, panicked edge in his voice. Skelliclyde? Did she just say Skelliclyde?

"Skelliclyde! This phantom or spirit or something keeps chanting that name and...it keeps threatening me! It keeps saying that it'll kill me and my baby sister!" She tried to soothe the crying baby in her arms, but with herself sobbing hysterically, it didn't do much help.

A phantom of some sort, threatening Myrtle and her little sister, chanting the name Skelliclyde...

"No, it can't be..." Phobos whispered.

"What can't be?" The girl managed to say through her sobbing.

"Skelliclyde! He...he can't exist...he can't be..."

"Phobos, he is haunting me!...Wait, you know this Skelliclyde?"

"I..." Phobos looked down, not wanting to say anymore, but knowing that the happy lies were over. He had to face the truth. "I think that Skelliclyde is my father, and he's haunting you to get to me."

Myrtle stood silent, unsure of what to say. Could this charming prince really be the offspring of that horrible phantom?

Phobos straightened his back and swelled his chest. "I assure you, I am nothing like Skelliclyde! I'll find him, and defeat him!" Phobos wasn't sure how to defeat a ghost, but he was determined not to let Skelliclyde hurt any of his loved ones.

A haunting howl sounded through the dusk air. The baby, who had just begun to calm down, got riled up again. "Who is the baby?" Phobos asked.

"This is my baby sister, Miranda." A pang hit Phobos's heart. He, too, had a baby sister, and feared she was just in much trouble as little Miranda. "I wanted to find my father, because I believe he could have stopped this Skelliclyde."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm not sure, but I remember my father had said he'd be gone for a day when he'd left. When he hadn't come for a couple, I started to get worried. Do you think he could have anything to do with Skelliclyde's death?"

"Maybe," Phobos nodded. "Tell you what. Why don't you leave Miranda in the castle, next Queenlet Elyon. Tell the castle guards that there is an emergency and that both babies must be protected. I'll warn my mother than attack is coming upon the castle..."

Myrtle nodded, gave Phobos a tight hug, and ran into the castle. He ran shortly after her, and the two split ways once they were inside.

Myrtle placed Miranda with Elyon in her crib. She was just about to explain the situation with the castle guards a agonized scream echoed throughout the castle. Myrtle stayed with the infants and the guards ran after the noise.

Phobos made it there first and saw his best friend covered in tears and blood.

"Cedric! Oh my god, what happened to you?" He caught Cedric and held him for a little bit; the boy was so shocked he could barely stand. "Cedric, Cedric listen to me! Tell me what happened!"

"M-my dad," he stammered. "H-h-he...he turned into this big, green monster!" Cedric swallowed, "like...like a dragon or a l-lizard or something!"  
>Phobos didn't know what to say, but he was sure this had something to do with Skelliclyde.<p>

Cedric continued: "He...he killed King Xaden..."

"WHAT?" Phobos pulled Cedric with him and they rushed to the throne room. There lay King Xaden, Elyon's father, in pieces. There was blood splattered all around the carpet and drapes and walls. Phobos screamed and Cedric collapsed to the ground. He was in a tight ball, whining and crying and rocking.

"How...how could he do this?" Phobos demanded in shock. For a while all he could do was stare at King Xaden's dead body and think of Elyon, Elyon who know would never know who her father was, just as he had...

"It wasn't easy, but I managed," Chaucey's voice hissed behind him. Phobos whirled around; Cedric stopped crying and looked. Chaucey was standing in a lopsided position, his arms turned green and bulky. His eyes were reptilian and his tongue was forked. He looked tired and dragged. "I told you not to worry," Chaucey said.

Phobos heard Chaucey's voice, but he knew that the man inside wasn't really Chaucey...

The green claws and snake eyes disappeared, and Chaucey fell to the ground. As he did, a visible spirit ripped out of him, an airy stream of cloudiness. Then the filmy blob began to take to shape: arms, legs, chest, a face...

"He...he kinda looks like you, Phobos," Cedric couldn't help but comment. Phobos swallowed, not wanting to believe it for a second. He had never seen his father, not since long ago, but he recognized the evil knight: bleach blond hair, grey eyes, dark circles under them...

"You can't be...Dad?"

"See? I told you you didn't have to miss me, 'cause I'd be back." 


	7. The Darkest Day

NOTE: Oh my goodness you guys! Sorry it's been forever to update, but I'm happy to announce the final chapters of this fanfic will be posted shortly! Thank you, to all of those who have read this, I know I sort of abandoned it for while ^^;;

"I can't believe you...how could you? How could you take Elyon's father away from her?" Phobos yelled at the vile man. "It's bad enough you left me, how could you torture my sister?"

London squinted at him with deadly eyes and shook his head only slightly. "You don't get it, do you? Your selfish mother replaced me and then had Elyon to replace you!"

"What?" Phobos demanded. He could not believe this!

"Why do you think she hardly ever looks at you anymore? Do you ever notice how much more love Elyon recieves than you?"

"That's not true!"

"It is true! And you know what? I think I'm going to get rid of her! I have just killed her father, I mind as well kill her!" The phantom disappeared and set Phobos's heart to a painful speed.

"Cedric!" He choked out, "Cedric, we need to go before he gets her!" His panicked friend looked shaken and was trembling on the floor. He could not get up by himself, so Phobos dragged him up and pulled him to Elyon's room. It looked undisturbed; London had not reached the infant.

Cedric swallowed and asked, "who's the black-haired baby with Elyon?"

"That's Miranda," Phobos explained, "I met a girl at the Royal Reception...her name was Myrtle. She thinks her dad might have been able to do something about Skelliclyde but...well obviously he's _here_. Miranda is her baby sister..."

"Oh, I see..."

"Anyway, we need to get out of here!" Phobos grabbed Elyon and, shakily, Cedric grabbed Miranda. For some reason he felt close to her, he felt that she would leave some mark on him in the future.

The two boys ran out of the room, not sure of their direction. Then the most agonizing scream that day bounced off of the walls of the castle. "MOTHERRR!" Phobos screamed, running and trying to hold Elyon at the same time. The baby woke and cried at the sound of her brother's pain.

Weira was as dead and splattered as her husband and there was Chaucey again, in his monster-form. Cedric felt sick and once again collapsed to the floor. Phobos stared and took it all in : the friendly courier, his best friend's father, was a hideous and sickening beast!

He grabbed Cedric and held the crying Elyon and ran out of the room. Again London's spirit left Chaucey's body. Due to having being possessed twice, Chaucey's mind and soul could not take the domination, so he died. As he fell to the floor, a tear streamed down his face and he had one final thought: I love you, Cedric. Please, don't be afraid...

Phobos heard his father's voice announce: You cannot escape! I will have you, little boy! And I'll make sure that little demon in your arms is dead!

"Cedric, take Elyon and open a portal to Earth! Find someone to take care of her! I will face that monster myself!"

"Ph-Phobos, I don't-" But Phobos ignored Cedric's reasons. He gave Elyon to Cedric, who now had two infants in his arms, and pulled off a necklace that he had worn underneath his robes. "This is my Seal," he explained, "my mother gave it to me as a present. It can open portals. Now, go!"

Cedric nodded. As he took the Seal, Phobos took Miranda. "He's not after Miranda," the prince explained, "she'll be safe with me."

The two best friends split ways. Cedric ran in the rain-how fitting!-and looked for someone, anyone, who could take care of the princess. "Listen! Somebody, listen!"

His hysteria drew people's attention, which was lucky for him. He climbed on top of a wooden crate conveniently placed in the center of the town and announced: "Listen, people of Meridian! Something terrible is happening in the castle, something I can't understand, something that I think no one can prevent! Here I have the Princess of Meridian, who needs a parent to-"

"What about the Queen?" Someone asked. There were murmurings of worry passing through the crown.

Cedric swallowed, let a couple of tears fall, and screamed, "She's dead! She's absolutely dead, and so is Lord Aprycott! Only Prince Phobos is alive and I don't think..." He was afraid of what he was about to say. What was that Skelliclyde going to do to him?

"Here with me I have the Seal of Phobos! I need one of you, two of you, any of you, to take Elyon to Earth where she can be happy and safe! Please! There is not much time!"

The townspeople looked scared and sad. Their rulers were dead, and for some reason the heir to the throne could not stay on her own planet! One brave woman stood out from the rest. She shouted over the rain: "I am Galgheita, and I will take Elyon to Earth!"

The people gasped, but Cedric wasted no time. He crammed the baby in her arms and said, "Remember something, Galgheita! There is no such thing as a clear picture! Nothing in this world, or in any world, is really what it seems!" With that statement he ran back to the castle, sure that Phobos was dead and everything was lost.

Meanwhile, as Cedric was making his way to him, Phobos stared at his ghostly father and said, "You're sick, you know that? What kind of father leaves his son and comes back to haunt him?"

"What kind of son isn't blindly loyal to his father?" London shot back. It was well known in Meridian that London was mad knight. His comrades often looked at him funny as he used to mumble and giggle to himself, even when camping out during a battle. But although the man was out of his mind, he was powerful and a mighty threat.

"What do you want?" The energy coming from Phobos's magic began to conjure up together and come in waves of light swirling around him.

"I want us to be together," London said honestly with a straight face. In his eyes was that deep, strange look again, the very one his father had given him the day he left. "I don't ever want to leave you again."

Phobos hadn't seen it coming until it was too late. A strange warm sensation that somehow felt cold crept onto his skin like microscopic spiders. Mist twisted softly around his arms and legs, and it didn't seem right how bonded he felt. The light, smoky air felt like chains being thrown onto him. He felt his mind start to disconnect, his body somehow belonging to someone else...

"Father?" Phobos heard voice from miles away. "Father, why? Please, don't! I love you! Come on, don't do it!"

"I'm right here, boy! I'm not leaving." He thought he felt someone hold him. The castle began to twist away, all Phobos could see were colors and feelings and...darkness.

Cedric made it back to the castle and saw his best friend sprawled on the floor. "Phobos! No! No, no, no, nooooo!" He dropped beside the prince and shook him furiously. "Phobos, if you die, I swear...NOOOO! GET UP! GET UP RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR I'LL-"

His screaming was so loud he almost couldn't believe it was him.

"Why do you scream, Cedric? I'm right here." Cedric could see by his malicious smirk, the nefarious gleam to his eye, that this was not Phobos. He thought back (reluctantly) to when he saw his father possessed by that evil spirit. Phobos wasn't killed. No, what happened to Phobos was much worse...

"My prince?" Cedric looked into Phobos's eyes, hoping to find his best friend, his brother, his other half...but there was nothing. Nothing but cold and dark and London.

"Yes, Cedric! Together, you and I can have Meridian! Together, you and I can have anything!" Cedric realized that Phobos was gone and London had taken his place. And if Cedric had learned anything that day, he knew that no one could run from London Skelliclyde and escape.


	8. The Awakening

When Phobos opened his eyes, he saw glowing blue bars and a bunch of cells. There were four guards in front of his: a big blue creature, a blond man who creepily reminded Phobos of his father, a bald man with horns, and finally a young boy with brown hair and green eyes. Phobos made a guess as to what all of this meant. He shuddered.

"Where's Elyon?" Phobos asked. Even though it was probably a very long time ago, Phobos remembered his father's deadly promise to him...

"She's on the throne, where she belongs," the blond man answered. "And you're in a cell, where you belong." He had a purple scar on his face and the red cape he wore made him look like a knight. Phobos shuddered, again. That man was sending bad vibes!

But wait...Elyon's on the throne?

"She's...she's on the throne?"

"Where else would she be?" The man asked, annoyed.

Dead! Phobos screamed in his thoughts! She should be dead! But miraclously, she isn't...

Phobos smiled. "My sister...my sister is okay! He-I-London didn't kill her!" He exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" The brown-haired guard demanded. All four had looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

"It's such a long story and-" the young guard gave him a look that said they have plenty of time. "It's got to with spiritual possession," Phobos finished.

The guards glared at him. "I need to tell Elyon first, before talking to any of you strangers!"

"Fine, I'll go get Elyon," the blue monster said.

"By the way, we aren't strangers," the brown-haired guard said, "my name is Caleb, and the blonde guy next to me is Drake. The blue monster that just left is Vathek, and this guy is my best friend, Aldarn."

"Nice to re-meet you," Aldarn joked. "We all led a rebellion against you."

"A rebellion?" Phobos was surprised, but then he figured why wouldn't there be a rebellion against him. He probably spent the past whatever number of years it's been trying to find and kill Elyon. He shuddered thrice now. Thank goodness it didn't work out!

Vathek came back with an angry Elyon. "What do you want?" she asked roughly.

Phobos flinched; her hate towards him was sharper than the point of a freshly made sword. "I...I have a lot to tell you," he confessed. He looked at the guards. "If you don't mind?"

"Fine," Caleb said. "But Elyon's probably going to announce it to all of Meridian anyway." The rest of the rebels laughed and walked out of the prison.

"I wonder if I should believe anything you say?" Elyon glared at him. "Or maybe I should walk out of here and keep celebrating your imprisonment!"

Phobos had remembered something said about Meridian women being proud and merciless. But he shook his head and decided whatever Skellicyde decided to use his body to do, it deserved all of the punishment he was getting. "But I'm not Skellicyde anymore..." Phobos whispered to himself.

"No, you have to know what's been going on all of this time! You have to know that...that when I was younger, something horrible happened. Something...inevitable."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"Elyon, I haven't been me in a very long. What I mean is, I've been possessed." Elyon lifted an eyebrow, unsure if this was the truth, but not being able to fully doubt it either. After all, Meridian was a place of magic and very little was impossible. Here, the idea of something being possessed by another could be totally plausible.

"You see, we don't have the same father," he explained, speaking slowly. "My father was an evil and ambitious knight named London Skelliclyde. He murdered our mother's first husband, and then he murdered your father when she re-married."

Elyon gasped. "And our mother?" Phobos hung his head.

"Yes. He murdered her as well. He murdered all of them! Our mother, your father, even Cedric's father! You can ask him..." Phobos looked around. "Where is Cedric?"

"Right there," Elyon pointed to a little green creature right next to Phobos.

"That's not Cedric!" Phobos peered closer. "How can it be..."

"You turned him that way," Elyon said, confused. Was it true? Could Phobos had been possessed this whole time, unaware of what he'd been doing?

Phobos used his magic to turn him back. There was Cedric, only he was much older. How long had Skelliclyde been using him?

"Cedric?" His old friend smiled. "Cedric!" The two embraced, happy to see the other was not destroyed.

"You're back," Cedric said. It had been so long, Cedric had lost his faith along the way. But now, it was over. Everything was truly how it should be.

Elyon stared at them like they were crazy. What was going on? "I can't believe it! You're...you're not evil!"

Phobos smiled and nodded. "Or at least, I hope I'm not!" A sparkle in the light caught Phobos's eye. "Hey, what is that?"

"Hm? This? It's a jewel from my mother, she gave it to Trill, her servant. Trill has just given it to me and-"

"Our mother never had such a jewel," Phobos announced, concerned. He peered into it and saw evil. "That thing holds cruelty...I suggest you take it off. Now."

Elyon was nervous. Phobos had been affectionate with Cedric, and seemed to have forgotten all of the evil he had done. But how could she be so sure?

"Phobos is right, Elyon. You have to take that jewel off," Cedric said. "London's ghost might be in there; he would have tried to get close to your family since he was pushed out of Phobos. If you wear that thing for too long, he may possess you."

But Elyon could not bring herself to believe them. "I...I will talk to the Oracle. I'm sorry, but I simply can't trust you two."

Both Cedric and Phobos bowed, much to Elyon's surprise. "We understand," Cedric said. "But please, check that thing immediately!"

The princess folded to Earth. She refused to go to Kandrakar alone.


	9. Epilogue

As it turned out, the jewel was definitely cursed, but by another spirit: the spirit of Nerissa. She was found out and the Guardians had to go through a series of difficult missions to defeat her. But thanks to Phobos's insight, her end came quicker than it could have, and saved the Guardians and Meridian a lot of hassle.

Skelliclyde was never of again, but Elyon had found a powerful Mage to always watch out for any floating spirits, and of course her friends were on the lookout too.

Despite helping Elyon find out Nerissa, there were still many things that Phobos had to do to prove his innocence. The people of Meridian had been uncomfortable with the thought of an open and friendly Prince Phobos. They were too used to his old image of arrogance and sadism. But after two years of convincing, Phobos finally started to gain supporters.

Galgheita and the rest of the town had decided not to tell Elyon about Cedric rescuing her since it was not shortly after that he had put the facade of a lying snake monster. But after two years of proving himself and his friend, Elyon announced to all of Meridian the true story, and the new generation and even some of the old were shocked. Phobos had actually saved Elyon, and all of Meridian!

He was re-accepted into the royal court as the Prince, and Cedric was retitled Lord. Phobos and Cedric spent most of their time together. The sad and heart-breaking memories began to fade away. The two realized they were and always would be the truest of friends.

Miranda cried hard when she found about her past, and apologizied to Elyon and even to Phobos. But Phobos said he was the one who should apologize for not being able to prevent London from raising her. Cedric too apologized for submitting to London. In the end, Miranda was forgiven by Elyon and the rest of the castle, and Phobos could see a friendship developing between the two.

Phobos insisted they have a day to remember Queen Weira and King Xaden, and no one argued against it. Elyon made the official date her birthday.

Even though Elyon, Phobos, Miranda and Cedric had all lost their families, the four became as close to a family as any of them would ever have. Meridian lived in peace, and all dark pasts were forgotten.

And here ends the story of Prince Phobos.


End file.
